Former Jharkhand CM Champai Soren Joins BJP
Champai Soren, the former Chief Minister of Jharkhand, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on August 30th, 2023, ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. This move comes after Soren's resignation from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on August 28th, 2023.
Soren, along with a significant number of his supporters, switched allegiance to the BJP in the presence of Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Soren, who had been sworn in as a minister in the Hemant Soren cabinet just the previous month, cited the state government's "present style of functioning and policies" as the reason for his departure from the party he had served for many years.
Soren had become the Chief Minister of Jharkhand on February 2nd, 2023, shortly after Hemant Soren resigned from the top post and was subsequently arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case. Champai Soren stepped down from the post on July 3rd, 2023, paving the way for Hemant Soren to be sworn in as Chief Minister again on July 4th, 2023, after being released on bail.
Reports suggest that Champai Soren was unhappy with the manner in which he was removed from the Chief Minister's post to make way for Hemant Soren's return. He reportedly felt "insulted" by the way he was sidelined.
Meanwhile, JMM legislator Ramdas Soren was sworn in as a minister in the Hemant Soren government on August 30th, 2023. The Ghatshila MLA replaced former Chief Minister Champai Soren in the state cabinet. Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Ramdas Soren at a ceremony in Raj Bhavan, in the presence of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, senior leaders of the JMM-led alliance, and several government officials. Ramdas Soren's induction into the cabinet followed Champai Soren's resignation as a minister and MLA.